Earth Dragon Sect, Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow

Dragon City.

A city in the northern part of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Snow Empress landed on a hill outside Dragon City with Lin Yaoyang and the Ice Empress.

From here, they could overlook the entire city. Gray walls and dense rooftops stretched out before them.

"Yao Yang, where is the Earth Dragon Sect?" Snow Empress asked. "What powerful figures do they have?"

"In the north of the city. The grandest area over there is theirs." Lin Yaoyang pointed in that direction. "Their strongest expert is their sect master, a Soul Douluo."

The Ice Empress snorted disdainfully. "A Soul Douluo? That makes things much easier. We can just kill our way in."

Lin Yaoyang took hold of her jade-like hand and said helplessly, "Sister Bing'er, there's no need for that. Intimidating them will do. There's no need to cause unnecessary trouble."

Snow Empress nodded. "We'll listen to Yao Yang."

The three flew toward the Earth Dragon Sect.

The Earth Dragon Sect's mountain gate was built impressively, with two stone dragon statues standing on either side. The three large characters, "Earth Dragon Sect," were written across the gate in bold, sweeping strokes. Several disciples stood guard outside. When they saw three figures descend from the sky, they were startled.

Then they sensed the Ice Empress's aura.

The Ice Empress deliberately released a trace of pressure.

That trace of pressure might have been bearable for a Soul Douluo, but to disciples at ranks thirty or forty, it was like a mountain crushing down upon them.

The disciples' faces instantly turned deathly pale. Their legs went weak, and they nearly collapsed to the ground.

"Go call out your sect master."

The Ice Empress's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority.

In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the Earth Dragon Sect's master, Nan Shui-Shui, hurried out with several elders.

Nan Shui-Shui was a woman who appeared to be in her thirties. She wore a pink dress, with proper features and a composed temperament.

She saw the three figures at the gate: two peerlessly beautiful women and a young man.

Her gaze lingered on Snow Empress and the Ice Empress for a moment, and her pupils contracted slightly.

She could not see through the cultivation of either woman.

She knew exactly what that meant.

Moreover, even as a woman herself, Nan Shui-Shui had to admit that the moment she saw Snow Empress, she felt somewhat ashamed of her own inferiority.

She stepped forward a few paces and cupped her hands toward the three of them, keeping her posture extremely humble.

"This junior is Nan Shui-Shui. Greetings, seniors. May I ask why you have come?"

Lin Yaoyang stepped forward and said, "Sect Master Nan, there is no need to worry. We mean no harm in coming here. We merely heard that your sect has a Cold Spring and came to take a look."

A Cold Spring?

Nan Shui-Shui's heart stirred.

There truly was a Cold Spring behind the sect. It contained dense spiritual energy and could nourish the bodies of Soul Masters.

There were some ores at the bottom of the spring, but they were extremely difficult to mine. The cost was too high, so the place had always been left unused.

Surely such things were not enough to draw a terrifying expert here in person?

She glanced at the Ice Empress.

That petite girl stood there, seemingly harmless, yet Nan Shui-Shui could sense a faint but terrifying aura around her. It was not deliberately released—it simply overflowed naturally because her cultivation was too high.

Nan Shui-Shui swallowed.

"If you wish to go, then of course there is no problem."

Snow Empress spoke, her tone calm. She said only two words.

"Lead the way."

"Yes." Nan Shui-Shui answered respectfully and turned to walk ahead.

The Earth Dragon Sect's rear courtyard.

Nan Shui-Shui led the three through the sect's main cluster of buildings and into the garden behind them. The garden was not large, planted with cold-resistant flowers and trees. A gravel path wound deeper inside.

At the end of the path stood a well.

The opening was not large, built from bluish-gray stone, and the rim was covered with moss.

Wisps of white vapor rose from above the well. It was not steam, but cold air. The temperature here was clearly several degrees lower than elsewhere.

Nan Shui-Shui stopped and stepped aside.

"Seniors, it is here. This is the Cold Spring."

Snow Empress walked to the edge of the well and looked down. The well water was bottomless, and an extremely frigid aura surged up from within. An ordinary person would have frozen stiff just standing here.

She closed her eyes and sent her spiritual power into the well.

A moment later, she opened her eyes, and a strange glint flashed through them.

"Yao Yang, Bing'er, I have indeed sensed something unusual. Let's go down and take a look."

She wrapped Lin Yaoyang in Soul Power and leaped into the well. The Ice Empress followed close behind.

Nan Shui-Shui stood by the well, watching the three disappear beneath the water's surface. After a moment of silence, she turned and left.

Deep within the Cold Spring.

Everything around them was pitch-black.

No one knew how long they had been descending. Perhaps several hundred meters, perhaps even deeper. The water grew colder and colder, reaching an unimaginable degree.

At last, they reached the bottom.

Uneven stone walls surrounded them, and the Cold Spring's water gathered here into a small pool. The water was crystal clear, emitting a faint blue glow.

Snow Empress floated in the water and spread out her spiritual power once more.

A moment later, she opened her eyes. Soul Power gathered in her palm as she struck one section of the stone wall.

Boom—

The stone wall shattered in response, and broken rocks slowly sank through the water.

Behind the wall was a pale-blue membrane of light. It was thin, like a transparent film, with gentle radiance flowing across its surface.

Snow Empress sensed the aura coming from behind the membrane, and her heart skipped a beat.

Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow.

She could not be mistaken.

"Come." She led Lin Yaoyang and the Ice Empress through the membrane without hesitation.

Beyond the membrane was an ice cave several dozen square meters in size.

There was no water.

The ice cave was dry and freezing, far colder than the Cold Spring outside.

Several dozen pure-white ice pillars grew in tangled formation along the surrounding walls.

Some pillars were long, others short; some were thick, others thin. Yet without exception, they were as warm and translucent as white jade.

Within the pillars, faint blue light flowed, releasing endless cold.

The Ice Empress's eyes lit up at once.

"Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow! It really is Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow!"

Even her voice trembled.

"Hahaha! Xue'er, we're rich!"

She threw her arms around Lin Yaoyang beside her and excitedly kissed his cheek.

"Yao Yang, well done! All my affection for you wasn't wasted!"

Lin Yaoyang could barely breathe from her embrace and patted her back.

"Alright, Sister Bing'er. Let's put away the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow first."

Only then did the Ice Empress release him and jump down to begin counting.

"One, two, three... forty-five!"

She turned to Snow Empress, her bright yellow eyes filled with wild joy.

"Xue'er! There are forty-five pieces of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow here!"

A smile appeared on Snow Empress's face as well.

Forty-five pieces.

Even more than she had expected.

With this Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, she could not only heal the hidden injuries left behind when she had failed to condense her Soul Core years ago, but also ensure that she and the Ice Empress could safely survive their heavenly tribulations.

She could even give some to the other core members of the Far North.

Her jade-like hand moved slightly, and pale-blue light spread from her palm, striking every piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow.

The ice pillars rapidly shrank, transforming into streams of light that flew into the storage Soul Tool she had taken out.

Before long, all forty-five pieces of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow had been stored away.

Seeing that the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow had been secured, Lin Yaoyang reminded her, "Sister Xue'er, please help me collect the Ice Extreme Divine Crystals here as well."

Snow Empress nodded.

She activated her Soul Power, stripping piece after piece of Ice Extreme Divine Crystal from the stone walls.

Her technique was exceptionally precise. Every piece remained intact, without the slightest damage.

She stored the ores in another storage Soul Tool, then handed it to Lin Yaoyang.

Lin Yaoyang accepted it and tucked it into his clothes.

"Alright, Sister Xue'er. Let's go."

The three passed through the membrane, dived into the Cold Spring, and swam upward.

Nan Shui-Shui was still waiting by the well.

When she saw all three emerge safely, she secretly let out a sigh of relief.

"Seniors, did you gain anything?"

Snow Empress glanced at her and nodded faintly without saying much.

Nan Shui-Shui wisely did not press the matter.

"Thank you, Sect Master Nan, for accommodating us." Lin Yaoyang gave her a slight nod. "Farewell."

The three rose into the sky and vanished beyond the horizon.

Nan Shui-Shui remained where she was, watching their departing figures in silence for a long time.

She did not know what lay beneath that Cold Spring, but she knew that anything capable of making experts of that level act in person could not possibly be ordinary.

She sighed and turned away.

Some things were not for her to inquire about.